[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

North Korea might actually see this as an opportunity for their troops to test their mettle against Western forces and in a proxy war before engaging South Korean and/or American troops.

Don't underestimate the North Korean's resolve of Songun, their prioritization of military readiness. Self-reliance (Juche) and asymmetric warfare are main components of their military doctrine. If they can be part of the defeat of a Western-aligned power, that could be a huge piece of victory propaganda and an internal story for the brainwashed masses. They may see value in testing their troops, tactics, equipment, intelligence gathering, and combat readiness that doesn't involve their own borders. North Korea have reliably been opportunistic when it comes to military matters.

And if it fails miserably, they can simply pin the blame on an incompetent Russian military operation rather than take any blame for themselves.

Meh Commie armies